Rumtoad

*Disclaimer*

This is a site I use to post work I have created or been a partner to, as well as a platform to connect and collaborate with musicians from around the world who are interested in challenging, or thought provoking musical compositions. My studio includes Logic 9 and tons of analogue and digital equipment. I tend to work fairly quickly, but the more interesting a project, the more I want to do the best I can to add something profound, so time is relative. My stylistic interests include everything as long as it is good, although I am not a huge fan of most of what passes for music on the radio these days. I enjoy writing and playing, and I am comfortable with most styles. I currently have 2 "long distance" projects that are on-going, but would love to collaborate with others, with the goal of releasing our collaborations to the public, even if only electronically!Definitive interests and influences include the usual suspects:The Beatles, Early Stones (through 1975), Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Who, etc,but also:Prog - Genesis/Gabriel/Hackett, Emerson,ELP/The Nice, etcCanterbury - Hatfield, Softs, Caravan, Gong,etcZeuhl - Can, Magma, Neu!, etcR.I.O - Henry Cow, Aqsac Maboul, Muffins, etcBop and Free Jazz - too many to list, but Miles, Shepp, Pharoh, McCoy, Threadgill, AACM, etc..Fusion - Return to Forever, McLaughlin, etcAnd so on. You get the picture. I also love 70s and 80's Southern Cali punk, and British Proto-Punk (the Jam, and did I mention XTC?) through a lot of the good new wave from the 80's (Japan,Prefab Sprout, etc)Classical - Schoenburg, Eisler, Messiaen, etc*whew*I was also a fan of the 45. Two songs, approximately 7-10 total minutes to state your case. Nice...

I have been a musician for over 30 years, and have played live with musicians like Eyvind Kang as well as with members of Caveman Shoestore, The Tone Dogs, Jade Warrior, Group Du Jour and others, and have opened for everyone from Nirvana and the Sun City Girls to Elliot Sharp and They Might be Giants. I currently play music with Daniel Crommie, Bruce Hazen, Colin Henson, David Duhig, Jon Davis Miller, and some great avant-garde musicians in Argentina. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in creating something cool!

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

A song that has (so far) commemorated a crappy 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 (and probably) an obnoxious 2015. Here's hoping 2015 is better than what we leave behind. I will re-visit this tune to shine it to a pearly condition once I have had time to do all the other boring stuff one must do to stay alive. In the meantime, I have this to remember every NYE for the last (5) Years by.

Bill is in repose, and has been for so long now.
No one knows where he goes, when Bill is in repose
but it's been at least 5 years now. He hasn't moved, or said a word.
we begin to worry about Bill. When we worry about him at all.
We can hear no sign of breathing but Bill is deep that way
We're sure he must be dreaming, but he will never say
but it's been at least 5 years now. He hasn't moved, or said a word.
we begin to worry about Bill. When we worry about anything at all...
Solo
He never moves a muscle. He never blinks an eye.
Sometimes we worry about Bill. When we worry about anyone but ourselves
Bill is in repose...
Bill is in repose...

What did the old man say? Are you free to leave? Can we go today?
will he try to block your way, burning the bridges to home
Walking down a country road. A little tired, a little old
never doing what were told - the fading fire, the growing cold
feel the match burning down...down to the skin
where I begin and you cast a long shadow...
When did I lose the plot? the missing script? The random thought?
Were you sold or was I bought, nothing is quite what it seems
all the tiny, random things. the little joys, and silent springs?
attached to each and every string, the further distance from home
Walking down a country road. A little tired, a little old
never doing what were told - the fading fire, the growing cold
feel the match burning down...down to the skin
where I begin and you cast a long shadow...
What did the old man say? Are you free to leave? Can we go today?
do we need to run away, burning the bridges to home
do we need to run away, burning the bridges to home
do we need to run away, burning the bridges to home
What did the old man say? Are you free to leave? Can we go today?
do we need to run away, burning the bridges to home
do we need to run away, burning the bridges to home
do we need to run away, burning the bridges to home....

What part of me belongs to you?
The answer would be; none.
And no matter what you say to me
I will never be more than one.
To you, or anyone else.
CHORUS
Drape the night in Shadow
And hide the rest in lies
What do I care, what you have done?
I couldn’t care less If I tried
And though treat me like a hired hand
I will never be your guide
find the way yourself
chorus
SOLO
Bathe the night in Monet light
And shroud the stars in dreams
There are two worlds, where I belong
but only one of them is mine.

Dark was the night.
And as the pale reeds bent into the wind
They made a sound
They made a sound
Dark was the night.
The night can be anything that you want it to be
That you want it to be…
Dark was the night.
In truth there was no two of us.
At all.
No frame, no door.
No wall. No floor
Dark was this life.
And life can be anything that you want it to be
That you want it to be…
That you want it to be…
Dark was the night.
And something moving in the trees
Something wrong….
It made a sound
It made a sound

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

I don't need to explain this one. If you are looking for a soundtrack to the revolution , this isn't it. It is meant to convey my sadness at the way the world is, or at least, as it seems to me. One of my friends said that he heard hope in it. Maybe....
Rumtoad- Guitar, Bass, Keyboards.
Daniel Crommie- Flutes

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

If you have been following the news in the United States, every ass clown with a new tinfoil hat has been crawling out from under the teabag to spread ill-will and bullshit. They seem to think that Democrats could NEVER fight back if they decide to push for a Liberal "Final Solution". Thats ok. Let them think that...

This is a new piece I have been working on. I sent it to Daniel Crommie to play with, so the final version will be different. In the meantime, I am proud of the David Sylvian-like quality of this demo.
Rumtoad- Everything

Sunday, January 5, 2014

This is a cover of a Peter Gabriel track that he wrote in the very early 80's after learning about Stanley Milgram and his Teacher/learner experiments regarding the ability of central figures to coerce subjects to commit unspeakable acts against others because of their supposed authority. In the experiments, "teachers" were required to administer increasingly toxic doses of electro-shock to "learners" if they did not answer questions correctly. The "learners" were actually actors, but the "teachers" did not know this, and more than 60% were willing to administer lethal doses of electricity before questioning the right of the researchers to allow this kind of experiment. I draw corollaries between Milgram and the real world every time I interact with fellow humans. All together now "We do what we're told, told to do"Milgrams 37 by Rumtoad

Saturday, September 7, 2013

I wrote this on a Thursday, demo'd on a Friday, and finished and posted on the next day (Saturday, obviously). I am not a great guitar soloist by any stretch of the imagination (I prefer to write specific solos and stick to them, or at least use them as guides when improvising) but I liked the feel because it was as sloppy and unhinged as the song itself, which is about the fear of constantly feeling unprepared for whatever comes next.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

This is based on a poem by E.E. Cummings. I used a text to voice translator to create the vocal parts, and the "angry" sounds are samples of Wasps. I am very happy with the quality of this piece
Rumtoad- Everything
How Many Moments Must by Rumtoad as Well

Monday, January 21, 2013

This is a song about despair, that utilizes some of the historical aspects of Chief Joseph and the Trail of Tears to make it's point. The end vocals refer to a natural monument in Arizona. "The Trail to the Rock that leads over"
Rumtoad- Everything
Options by Rumtoad

This is a song I wrote about Frederick Jackson Turner, who gave a very famous speech in 1893 that sort of changed how America interacted with the rest of the World for all time. If you are curious about Mr Turner, there are several online sources that explain his influence on Policy and the notion of American Exceptionalism.
Rumtoad- Everything
Turner by Rumtoad

Just a semi- blues with a twist. It was fun to record. It is not finished, but if I waited until every little note was perfect, I would be an old man!. Jack is my rescue cat, and he had a funny look on his face every time he heard me sing his name.
Rumtoad- Gtr, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals,Percussion
(Some of ) Jacks Blues by Rumtoad

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

This is a piece I composed about a visit to a ghost town. We have several in Oregon and there are literally hundreds of them (or at least the sites where they once stood) in the Pacific Northwest alone. They usually shuttered down when an industry like logging, or mining went away. I have an affinity for Ghost Towns. They are a paradox, as they present both a window to a previous time, and a glimpse of what is to come.
Rumtoad - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Samples, Percussion, VocalsEndgame by Rumtoad

Thursday, July 19, 2012

I have several pieces that I have been composing since the middle of June. This was going to have a vocal , but my words kept failing me. It is now an instrumental with other things to occupy your mind. This is seriously one of the most complicated productions I have ever created on my own. And I am not even sure that it is finished!Rumtoad- Samples, Percussion, Synths, Bass, and Guitar soloClosing Time by Rumtoad

Thursday, May 31, 2012

This was a song I wrote in 2008. It was supposed to feel like a cross between Randy Newman and Stephen Foster. I may have hit that goal, but then again, I try to be a perfectionist. However, I did hit a couple of bum notes on the bass. Oh well. I wasn't planning on getting a grammy for this anyway.
Rumtoad- Everything except the Guitar Solo.
Kevin Elmore- Guitar solo
The Robert E Lee by Rumtoad

Sunday, October 2, 2011

This is a piece I wrote about the current "trend" of joining loosely affiliated and politically vague groups hell bent on destroying everything that makes them uneasy or forces them to think. It has a Randy Newman meets Floyd Cramer kind of lope to it, but trust me, you don't hear many country tunes written in Bb, and they certainly don't use many 11ths and 13ths. I do hope certain fringe elements listen to this and hate it. Then my work would be complete!